In certain instances, various bearings (e.g., ball bearings of various configurations) may be configured with seals to help retain lubricant inside the bearing and to act as shields to prevent dirt and other contaminants from entering the bearing. In certain configurations, for example, lip seals made from rubber (or other flexible material) may be utilized to protect a particular bearing, with one or more lips on a seal body contacting a portion of the bearing to provide a seal. In various configurations, multiple lip seals may be provided for a single bearing, with existing seals typically utilizing the same lip configuration for each seal included in a seal assembly for a bearing. This may not provide an optimal seal for various operations.
For example, in agricultural operations involving significant residue and soil displacement (e.g., various tillage operations) existing seals and seal assemblies may not adequately protect bearings from adverse fouling and wear. Various machinery may be affected by this deficiency, including disc-gang bearings for tillage machines, which may frequently suffer premature failure due to insufficient sealing. As a result, regular and time-consuming maintenance, including greasing of disc-gang (or other) bearings and flushing of contaminates, may be widely employed.